Improvement in feed-water heaters



H. 0. de TORRES. Peed-Water He atrs.

No. 211,439. Patented Jan. 14,1879.

INVEN%0R: a (/5 aka UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

HORACE GHI'AZZARI DE TORRES, OF TURIN, ITALY.

IMPROVEMENT IN FEED-WATER HEATERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 211,439, dated January14, 1879 application filed 7 July 18, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE GHIAZZARI DE TORRES, of Turin, Italy, haveinvented a new and Improved Automatic Feed-Water Heater and Regulator,of which the following is a specification In the accompanying drawings,Figure 1 representsavertical longitudinal section of my improved feed-water heater and regulator; Fig. 2, a top view; and Figs. 3, 4, 5, and6 are vertical transverse sections of the same, respectively on linesxx, 3 y, Z Z, and K K, Fig. 1.

. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention has for its object to furnish forthe steam-boilers oflocomotives, stationary o and portable engines, an improved automaticfeed-water heater and regulator, in which the exhaust-steam is utilizedfor heating up the feed-water, and thereby a considerable saving in fueland in the wear and tear of the boilerobtained, as well as an increaseof power of the engine produced, as the temperature and pressure in theboiler is kept uniform without undergoing any great change, owing to thea, of the connecting-rod I) of the actuating crank-lever d.

The piston-rod B is made of considerable size, beingbutlittle smaller indiameter than I tl1e.piston, so as to form an annular space around thesame that is smaller than that formed by the cylinder in front of thepiston.

The piston-rod is secured to the cross-head.

outside of the stuffing-box, and the connectingrod 1) coupled to thecross-head by a ball-andsocket joint, and to the link of the crank-leverd by a screw-connection, so that the connecting-rod maybe turned andadjusted to greater or less length, according to the stroke desired tobe given to the piston.

The annular space of the pump-cylinder A,

back of the piston, is connected at the bottom by a valve, 6, with thesuction-pipe O, that forms the communication of the pump-cylinder withthe feed-water reservoir, and at the top by a valve, 0 with a branchedchannel, D, that extends around a central exit-valve, 0?, in front ofthe piston, and communicates, by a perforated plate, f, and inclinedplate f, with a condenser, E, arranged in front of the closed end of thepump-cylinder, and connected by a pipe, E, with the exhaust-pipe E ofthe cylinder of the engine.

The condenser E is connected, by a valve, 0 and inlet-duet c, with thespace of the cylinder in front of the piston, said space being alsoconnected, by the top valve, 0 with a regulating-chamber, F, and by thesupply-pipe F with the boiler.

The stuffing-box and crosshead of the connecting-rod are lubricated by acup, g, of the extension A of the cylinder, the oil being distributed insuitable manner, first around the cross-head, and by a bottom groove orchannel, g, to the stuffing-box. The packing of the piston may be of anyapproved kind. Any impurities that settle in the pnmp-cylind er arecollected and drawn 0E by means of a bottom aperture and plug, h.

The operation of this automatic feed-water heater and regulator is asfollows: During the forward stroke of the piston avacuum is formed inthe small annular space around the pistonrod, which causes, by thepressure of the atmospheric air, the opening of the bottom valve, 0, andthe filling of the space by water from the reservoir. The return motionof the piston forces the water through the top valve, 0 and branchchannel D, then through the perforated plate in to the condenser, andfrom the same, by opening the valve 0 into the larger space formed byreceding piston in the pump-cylinder; but as the quantity of water istoo small to fill that space apartial vacuum is formed in the interiorof the pump-cylinder, which draws in the exhaust-steam, and causes thesame to pass with great velocity into the pumpcylinder. Onits way thesteam meets the small quantity of water that is minutely divided bypassing through the perforated plate f, so as to condense itself andheat up the Water. The sudden mingling of the exhaust steam and waterimparts a certain momentum to the heated-up water, by which it is thrownwith considerable force into the larger space of the pump-cylinder,whatever be its temperature, in about the same manner and on theprinciple of the ordinary injectors. The partial vacuum of the frontspace of the cylinder draws in a sufficient quantity of exhaust-steam tobe condensed and mingled with. the water from the reservoir, so thatthelarge space of the cylinder is filled. This quantity of Water isfinally forced by the forward stroke through the top valve, 6air-chamber, and supply-pipe, in boiling, or nearly boiling, state, intothe boiler, while the annular space back of the piston is simultaneouslyfilled with cold water again, which is thrown forward, heated bymingling with the exhaust-steam, and then again forced into the boiler,and so on. A regulating-valve, '8, of the suction-pipe is operated bythe engineer, and supplies the required quantity of water to the pump.

The mechanism described is applicable to any engine. For locomotives,however, it is advisable to prevent the entrance of water into thepump-cylinder each time when the engine is stopped, so as not to inject.cold water into the boiler on starting the engine. For this purpose akind of primary condenser and heater is arranged in the suction-pipe,which is operated jointly with the pump in perfectly automatic manner.This condenser G is arranged near the point where the water leaves thetender, the suction-pipe being then bent so as to assume the shape of asiphon, O, that connects at its downward descending portion with thehorizontal part leading to the pumpcylinder A, as shown in Fig. 1. Asecond siphon-shaped pipe, G, leads from the condenser above or sidewiseof the first siphon to the pipe E, that forms the communication withthesteam-exhaust pipe of the engine. The two siphon-shaped pipes areconnected at their highest points by a short pipe and stop-cock, I, soas to be placed in communication with each other or not, as desired.When the locomotive is at rest, the water rises in the ascending partsof the siphon-shaped pipe up to a level with the water in the tender, asindicated by a dotted line in Fig. 1; but as soon as the engine is setin motion the vacuum caused in the annular space of the pump-pistonbegins to work, and is filled by exhaust-steam that is drawn in throughthe pipe G, the connecting-pipe Z, and the suctionpipe 0. The steamdrawn in is of such a small quantity that it condenses partly beforegetting to the pump-cylinder. The atmospheric pressure forces then thewater from the tender into the pump through the siphon of thesuction-pipe, while the exhaust-steam enters from the other side intothe ascending branch of the siphon G, and mingles with the watertherein,so as to heat it more or less, according to the degree to whichthe regulatin g-valves are opened.

The water in the primary condenser may,

by the continuous working of the pump, reach a temperature of from 7 5to SOQ centigrade. This may be readily ascertained by the engineer bytouching the siphon of the suctionpipe, so that by properly regulatingthe valves the water may be supplied to the pump in a highly-heatedstate. As long as there is steam in the pipe G the pump continues towork without interruption. As soon as the steam is shut off from theengine air is drawn into said pipe, and into the pump-cylinder, so thatthe same works empty. As soon, however, as the stop-cock of theconnecting-pipe l of the siphon is closed the pump injects cold waterinto the boiler, which may be of some advantage in certain cases. By thedouble heating action which is exerted on the feed-water by the primaryand secondary condensation of the exhauststeam, the temperature of fthefeed-water is raised to such a degree that when it is fed to the boilerthe varying temperatures and pressures at the interior of the same aredispensed with, and a uniform temperature maintained, as no cold wateris ever fed to the boiler.

The primary heating apparatus at the outside of the pump-cylinder may-beused in connection with ordinary pumps by keeping up the automaticworking of the pumps placed on the locomotives; or the double siphonsmay be dispensed with, and the exhaust-steam used solely for heating thewater, as first described. Ordinary pumps -of stationary or portableengines may also be worked by a primary condenser without the use of thesiphons. The different mechanical features of the feedwater heating andregulating apparatus may be varied according to the differentapplications of the same, the principles of heating up the feed-water byexhaust-steam and supplying it by spaces of different size to the pumpand to the boiler remaining the same, and forming, together with theprimary condenser, the essential parts of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination of the double-actingpump-cylinder A A and piston B B with the valved suction-pipe O, valvedbranch channel D, valved inlet of condenser E, and exhaustpipe E andwith valved passage of regulating air-chamber F, and supply-pipe F,substantially as specified.

2. The combinationof a double-acting pump, having interior spaces ofdifi'erent size in front and back of piston, with a valved branchchannel, connecting with a smaller space in pump, and with a condensercommunicating with exhaust-pipe, and with a larger space of pump, theconnecting-orifice between branch channel and condenser having aperforated plate and a deflecting-plate, for exposing the water inmechanically-divided state to heating action of the exhaust-steam,substantially as specified.

3. The combination of a boiler-feed pump with aprimarycondenser,connected by siphon- 5. The combination of a pump-cylinder, A, shapedpipes to the exhaust-pipe of engine and having guide-extension A andstuffing-box, to pump, so as to heat up Water before passing with apiston, B, and piston-rod B, guiding to pump, substantially asspecified. cross-head and connecting-rod, that is coupled 4. Thecombination, in a primary condenser by a ball-and-socket joint tocross-head, and by of a feed-water heater and regulator, of thescrew-connection to actuating-lever, substansiphon, connecting exhaust-pipe and contially as specified. denser, with the siphon of thesuction-pipe HORACE OHIAZZARI DE TORRES. by a steam-channel andstop-cock, at the high- Witnesses: est points of the siphons,substantially as 'FELIoE BAZETLA, specified. ANASTAZIO GIUSEPPE.

